Baramulla : Distt Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC) Baramulla, headed by President, Peerzada Qousar Hussain along with Member, Nyla Yaseen has delivered a significant judgment in favour of two poultry farmers viz. Lone Poultry and KGN Poultry from Sopore in a case related to the supply of substandard poultry feed by Maha Feeds Agrotech and its distributor, Bhat Poultries.
According to the complainants, the poultry feed supplied to them lacked the assured protein content of 20%, which is essential for the healthy growth of poultry birds. The farmers reported high mortality and reduced growth in their poultry and subsequently got the feed tested at a certified nutrition laboratory in Srinagar. The test revealed that the protein content was only 15.5%, significantly below the claimed standard. In their defence, the opposite parties denied making any assurance regarding the protein level and contended that the complaint was baseless and likely due to viral infections rather than the feed itself. However, the Commission found that the feed was sold without any nutritional chart on the packaging, which is a mandatory requirement under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) guidelines.
The Commission termed this omission an unfair trade practice under Section 2(47) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. After considering all the evidence and hearing arguments from both sides, the Commission directed the opposite parties to pay Rs.5, 00,000 each to the two complainants as compensation for the losses suffered due to the substandard feed. Additionally, the opposite parties were ordered to refund Rs.2,22,457 and Rs.1,89,016, which were the amounts paid by the complainants for purchasing the defective feed. The Commission also directed the opposite parties to pay Rs.30,000 as litigation expenses and to recall any poultry feed from the market that does not carry a nutritional chart. Furthermore, the Commission instructed them to ensure full compliance with BIS norms in all future supplies by displaying complete nutritional information on every feed bag. In total, the Commission awarded a compensation amount of Rs.14,41,473 to the complainants. The opposite parties have been given four weeks from the date of receipt of the order to comply fully with the directions issued.
